


a sea of flesh that was never enough (or: tongues)

by eldritchbee



Series: Goretober 2020 [9]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Addiction, Cannibalism, Gen, Goretober, Goretober 2020, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Starvation, Taxxons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27055243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldritchbee/pseuds/eldritchbee
Summary: If a taxxon eats another taxxon, no one holds a grudge. There’s no point to it. We accept that we’re all hungry. We’re all too ready to die for each other, to be devoured. How strange, how easily he accepted it, he was at peace and prepared to die the moment he stopped trying to kill himself.---Surprise taxxon and Arbron headcanons.For Goretober 2020 (prompt #15 - tongue)
Relationships: Arbron & Elfangor-Sirinal-Shamtul, Arbron (Animorphs) & Other(s)
Series: Goretober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950091
Kudos: 5





	a sea of flesh that was never enough (or: tongues)

_come back  
_ _i know you wanna  
_ _get back to when we were young  
_ _just bleeding out in the mouth of the devil_

* * *

He’s told much later, by Elfangor’s younger brother, the wonders of a human mouth. A human stomach that could adapt to many things. But, also, a human _tongue_ , that “tasted” a myriad of “flavor” in a manner that the young andalite could only describe as _addictive_. 

A taxxon stomach could adapt to nearly anything. Far more than any human could hope to.

A taxxon tongue could taste too, but it certainly wasn’t built for the pleasure of eating, of “savoring” a meal. And there was no euphoria that came with Arbron’s definition of _addictive_. 

Arbron doesn’t point it out. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill has morphed taxxon, the DNA is inside of him and it will be forever. If he’d pointed it out, even as wry as he always was, Aximili would understand all too well. There would be _pity_ after that, every instance and every interaction from thereon out. He wanted to be done with it, _had_ been done with it for years and years now (taxxons never look at other taxxons with pity, it didn’t stop the _hunger_ -)

He remembers, remembers how overwhelming it had been. Even Alloran had failed to hold back, how could Arbron ever hope to? The time went by so much faster than any other morph, his tongue flicking out over and over to taste the air itself, looking for more and more and more. The time counted down in his head halfway through devouring the corpses that Elfangor had left behind when he ran. It was only in the very last few seconds that he realized -

(he was trapped)

***

(He remembered what Elfangor looked like that day. It had been the first time he’d seen him since they parted on the taxxon home world. 

He was trapped.

The way he looked, Arbron knew he knew he would die that day.

The more traditional taxxons whispered in their own tongue behind the Visser's back, they called him… well, essentially, a _garbage can_. A waste. Where food spoils uneaten. And pieces of Elfangor would be turned to waste in the Visser's stomach. And whatever was left, scraps, they would eat. Elfangor would not be getting the "cannibal's thank you". Not from any of the others, at least.

But -)

<\- did you know that taxxons have a special ritual when they eat another taxxon? Or, I say ritual, but no taxxon in front of fresh meat and blood can do something that complicated. It’s more of a _gesture_ , an apology of sorts. But, no, not really. Anyway, we hold our brethren in our mouths for as long as we can handle it, we don’t swallow immediately. I suppose it's similar to what humans say when they “savor” a meal. We hold their lives in our mouths, wrapped in these tongues of ours, and we say… think… hm, it’s hard to translate. “Thank you” is what it boils down to, but, _no_ , more reverent, “thank you, we are one”... _no_ , not that either. It took me a while to understand. You have to _do_ it to understand. You have to be taxxon to understand,> he doesn’t tell anyone. There’s no one who would hear it, no one who would even care to.

(He wanted to tell Elfangor. He wanted Elfangor to cut Alloran - _Visser_ \- down like he had so many years ago. He wanted more than what felt like only half a second between the Visser’s morph, the hand that lifted Elfangor into the air, his gaping maw.)

_Addictive_.

What was it like to put something in a mouth and be happy with it? He doesn’t ask that either. He knew, he learned, not a single taxxon would be able to tell him. It simply wasn’t possible for them. It would never be possible for _him_.

***

<If a taxxon eats another taxxon, no one holds a grudge. There’s no point to it. We accept that we’re all hungry. We’re all too ready to die for each other, to be devoured,> how strange, how easily he accepted it, he was at peace and prepared to die the moment he stopped trying to kill himself. 

He wishes he could have said that too.

But all he manages to say before Visser 3 bites down is, <Elfangor. _Elfangor_ -! I’m sorry ->

(Elfangor isn’t taxxon. Elfangor probably wouldn’t understand the way Arbron wraps his tongue around the blood and meat and blue fur that falls from that Abomination’s mouth. He wonders if, despite that, Elfangor would forgive him for this. Would his brother, if he told him? Would his son?

And, if they would, could they look at him without pity?)

***

<You know what the scariest thing for a taxxon is?

To die alone.

To be wasted meat. To die and not even be nourishment for others. To die and simply rot away, while your people still feel like they’re starving.>

***

He never said any of that. Elfangor’s scream shattered the very air that day, made him shudder. And then, all he can say is:

<I’m sorry.> (andalite) <Thank you, thank you ->

(taxxon)

**Author's Note:**

> Title and top lyrics are "Mouth of the Devil" by Mother Mother


End file.
